Haneda to Add 50% More Int'l Landing Slots while Preparing Terminal Enlargement for Late March

Haneda Airport will increase the number of international landing slots by 50% to 90,000 slots on March 30th. Meanwhile, the expansion work on the International Terminal in Tokyo's Ohta Ward that is accompanying the additional slots is nearly complete and preparations are underway to vastly expand the airport's functions.

Haneda Airport, which began serving international routes again in 2010, currently has 60,000 international landing slots, but none are allowed during the daytime hours (6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.) except for short-haul flights to East Asia. The number of daytime slots will double on March 30th and they will generally not have time constraints for flight operations, even on long-haul routes. The summer schedule also commences that day, which will see airlines open new mid- and long-haul routes, add flights and shift schedules from the late night/early morning hours for service to destinations including Frankfurt, Bali, London, Vancouver, Singapore, Jakarta and Bangkok.

The expansion work that has been ongoing at the International Terminal since November 2012 is nearly finished. A new "Satellite" will be built at an extension of the current terminal building's northwest end over what used to be aircraft parking spaces. After the expansion the International Terminal will increase its floor space by about 50% to around 235,000 square meters and increase the current 96 check-in counters to 144. The number of aircraft parking spots will meanwhile rise from 10 to 18 and the number of security checkpoints from one to two.

The Satellite, with eight boarding gates, will have a giant concourse about half a kilometer in length with a dramatic structure almost completely lined with glass, offering nearby views from the boarding gates of aircraft parked at the airport and the domestic terminals area, as well as Mt. Fuji and the Tokyo Skytree in fair weather.

The new restricted-access commercial zone will be in the main building's expansion. There will be eight duty-free shops including Uniqlo and a book store, plus a 24-hour food court with eight restaurants. "Royal Park - The Haneda" is a "transit hotel" that will open in the main building's expansion and where travelers making connections can stay without going through immigration procedures. The hotel will have eight floors and 315 rooms, of which 17 will be for the transit hotel. Royal Park - The Haneda is slated to open for business at the end of September and will begin taking reservations in July.

In conjunction with the additions to the International Terminal, Haneda Airport will also add two additional floors to the adjacent seven-story parking garage so that it can hold up to around 3,000 vehicles.